A recent court ruling regarding elections may be an interesting test for the Mississippi Legislature next year.

That’s according to secretary of state candidate, Jeffrey Rupp. The secretary of state’s office oversees elections.

The federal court ruling requires lawmakers to come up with a system for party registration and voter ID by April 2008. Mississippi currently has neither.

It would affect all of Mississippi’s elections beginning next year. Rupp said he is split on the ruling.

“I think we need to have as many people as we can vote. So I’m against closed primaries. But I also think we need to preserve the integrity of all those votes,” Rupp said. “So I’m very much for voter identification. I’m pleased with that part of the ruling. But I disagree with the part of the ruling that calls for closed primaries.”

Rupp, a former mayor of Columbus, was in Meridian preparing for a fund raiser later this month. The Republican faces Delbert Hosemann, Gene Sills, and Mike Lott in the Aug. 7 primary. There are also three Democrats running for secretary of state.